america, designing customized, individual, and group retirement products. that s why we re your retirement company. and the corporation for public broadcasting. welcome! i m bob abernethy. it s good to have you with us. religious groups were right in the middle of this week s budget battle in washington. as president obama and congressional leaders negotiated funding for this fiscal year, one of the sticking points was whether to cut taxpayer money for planned parenthood. liberal people of faith were among those who rallied in support of continued funding for planned parenthood and its reproductive health services. but conservatives pushed for cuts in those areas, as well as a ban on taxpayer funding of abortions in the district of columbia. meanwhile, several prominent religious leaders continued their fast to save programs that help poor people in the u.s. and around the world. they said more than 30,000 americans have joined the fast. also this week, religious leaders